Joey

Education Department employees surprised to find their email automatically changed to blame Democrats for shutdown Five furloughed employees told NBC News they had put up nonpartisan out-of-office messages, only to see they were changed — without their permission — to partisan ones.

Education Department employees surprised to find their email automatically changed to blame Democrats for shutdown

@natashakorecki.bsky.social + @aterkel.bsky.social + Monica Alba + Matt Dixon:

www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

Thank you for your email. There is a temporary shutdown of the U.S. government due to a lapse in appropriations. I will respond to your message as soon as possible after the temporary shutdown ends. Please visit ED.gov for the latest information on the Department's operational status. Thank you.

Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume.

NEW—US Department of Education sent out standard Out of Office language to employees on Wednesday in light of shutdown. Later yesterday, workers tell me they found someone had updated their auto-responses without consent to a new one blaming Democrats.

Version of original on left, updated on right:

A White House-ordered Hatch Act violation happening on every agency website and in every federal employee's out-of-office autoresponder.

Parent agency USDA is also unhinged (yes, font is really that large). State has one too, though not to this degree of whack:

ah, well

Given what Trump is doing to the bond market - our debt is becoming more expensive - the Trump/GOP budget, which explodes the deficit by many tens of trillions, will almost certainly bankrupt the county. This budget needs to become seen now as something as dangerous as the tariffs. More sabotage.

Was this Mr McMillin’s class? 😂 (fellow alum, not a creeper, just amused & giggling if true)

BREAKING — All FDIC employees just received an email confirming DOGE presence at the agency.

"The DOGE team has neither requested nor been granted access to sensitive bank information." We'll see how long that remains true.

Text of email shared with me:

They played double-dog-dare-ya and grabbed the hot stove with one hand, withdrew it when it brought tears to their eyes & the burning stench induced gag reflex because “F that’s hot!” Then touched it again with the unburned hand just to see if

This 🧵

Trump’s Own Aides Keep Him in State of Delusion About Tariff Fiasco His inner circle is telling him that working-class voters are with him. In the real world, all the tariff chaos gives Democrats an opening to try to crack his vaunted coalition.

So absurd: Trump's aides are telling him working class voters love his tariffs. But recent polls actually show majorities of non-college voters say tariffs raise prices, and disapprove of his handling of them. I looked at the data. It's striking.

New piece from me:
newrepublic.com/article/1937...

Thermostasis is a broader concept, but I think it also matters here that while people may have strong opinions on how economy is doing or on this specific set of tariffs, think much of the population does not have especially strong views on the general philosophy of free trade.

Egg prices are falling. But there’s a catch | CNN Business The egg shortage may have finally been cracked.

“despite the bright spots, it can take weeks for wholesale prices to translate to most grocery store shelves, according to the USDA.

“Only now starting to see shelf prices slowly decline.”

www.cnn.com/2025/04/02/b...

Even as overall cost hikes slowed, egg prices soared 60% higher than a year prior. abcnews.go.com/Business/inf...

Unless a it was a stress test? Shake the tree to see what falls out, what still clings & by how much (and maybe also, gee we had no idea that was even in there!)

“Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Link to NY Times article. I do not have a subscription, so no gift link ability, and I have not read this piece. Just like to cite sources: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/09/w...

On the Chinese social media site Weibo, five of the top 10 trending hashtags on Wednesday morning were about the tariffs. The top hashtag? “America is fighting a trade war while begging for eggs.”

US turns to Brazil for eggs and considers other sources during bird flu outbreak The U.S. has almost doubled imports of Brazilian eggs once used only for pet food and is considering relaxing regulations for eggs laid by chickens raised for meat, as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to bring down sky-high prices spiked by bird flu.

The US has almost doubled imports of Brazilian eggs once used only for pet food and is considering relaxing regulations for eggs laid by chickens raised for meat, as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to bring down sky-high prices spiked by bird flu reut.rs/4kUFLBA

This is happening amidst a trade war that raises serious questions about the cost and availability of a host of foods, drugs and medical treatments (that rely on international supply chains).

One org responsible for answering questions about the cost and availability of those things?

The FDA.

There is now nobody for reporters to contact about the safety and security of existing pharmaceuticals or medical devices.

There is no one to ask about the safety and security of the food supply (except some meat, poultry and egg products regulated by the USDA).

I just learned that the entire press team at the FDA was fired last week. The *entire* press team.

It's difficult to grasp how bizarre this is.

To wrap my brain around the idea, I made a list of things the FDA is responsible for, and that reporters now have no one at the agency to ask about... 🧪🛟

Brilliant economic analysis by Marcus Hutchins @malwaretech.com

Two Liquid Egg Brands Recalled Over Bleach Contamination Risk Cargill Kitchen Solutions recalled more than 210,000 pounds of products under its Egg Beaters and Bob Evans labels.

Thousands of pounds of liquid egg substitutes sold under two popular brand names have been recalled because of the potential risk of contamination with a cleaning solution, federal safety regulators said.

something I haven't seen yet: isn't a massive increase in the range of goods worth smuggling going to be a big boost to exactly the kind of cross-border organized crime the WH claims it wants to stop?

White House says 104% tariff on China will take effect Wednesday China will face a 104% tariff on goods beginning Wednesday, the White House confirmed.

When I published my first report on tariffs at ARTnews on February 12, the total tariff rate for China was 17.5%, after it had been raised 10% on February 3. This total rate is almost six (6) times that: www.cbsnews.com/news/china-1...

‘They’re killing you’: US poultry workers fear faster lines will lead to more injury Workers say fast-paced conditions compound injury risks, while USDA will no longer require reports on safety data

The Trump administration will speed up processing lines for poultry and pork meatpacking plants while halting reports on worker safety, the USDA announced recently.

Workers and advocates say it will lead to more injuries. My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Direct link here:

The White House's sweeping new tariffs have shaken global markets and left retailers scrambling. Independent brands stand to lose the most.